warau

Warau is a Japanese verb written with the Kanji 笑う. It primarily means to laugh or to smile, depending on context. It is a kun’yomi word and is classified as a godan verb ending in -u. The basic dictionary form is 笑う (warau). The polite form is 笑います (waraimasu), and the te-form is 笑って (waratte). Common conjugations include 笑った (waratta) for the past tense, 笑わない (warawanai) for the negative, and 笑え (wae) as the imperative. The potential form is 笑える (waraeru), and the volitional form is 笑おう (waraou). The noun 笑い (warai) means laughter, and 笑顔 (egao) refers to a smiling face.

Usage notes: 笑う describes laughter or smiling by the subject. It can express laughing at something or someone (彼を笑う) or simply smiling in response to a moment. For ridicule or scorn, Japanese often uses stronger terms such as 嘲笑う (chōgū) or あざ笑う. When describing a smile rather than a laugh, other words like 微笑む or 笑顔 may be used.

Etymology and related terms: The kanji 笑, which carries the meaning of “laughter,” has the bamboo radical (竹) and is read kun-yomi as warau and on-yomi as shō in compound forms like 微笑 (bishō, “smile”). Related terms include 笑い (warai), 笑顔 (egao), and 嘲笑 (chōshō).

Cultural note: In online Japanese communication, the sound of laughter is sometimes represented by the letter “w” or “ww,” derived from the word warau.